ARTIST: Don Balke (North Carolina, born 1933)
TITLE: Black Bear
MEDIUM: gouache and watercolor on board
CONDITION: Very good.
ART SIZE: 11 x 13 inches / 27 x 33 cm
BOARD SIZE: 18 x 20 inches / 45 x 50 cm
SIGNATURE: lower left
PROVENANCE: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.
NOTE: This painting was originally published on the Fleetwood commemorative cover for the Baby Wildlife of the 50 States, postmarked June 20, 1984. Baby Bear Cubs -- from one to five -- are born during the quiet months of hibernation. At birth, they weigh a mere ten ounces, but they stay toasty warm in their mother's den, nursing and cuddling up to her thick black fur through the cold and snow of West Virginia's winter. Then, comes spring with green grass and the sweet smell of thawing grounds . . . and the forest slowly awakens. The little Black Bear cubs have grown by now and, excitedly follow their mother as she lumbers out of the den. Nipping, running and playfully tumbling, they come to the water's edge. Plopping down in search of fish, the mother seems almost human, reaching in to grasp something with her paw or cuffing a naughty cub as it nips a bit too hard. Bears, like humans, walk with the entire upper part of the foot and occasionally stand up on the hind feet when begging for handouts. While the mother will teach her young to find food in the wild, some will learn on their own ingenious ways to finagle a picnic lunch from tourists at a National Park. But, aside from this, with poor sight and hearing, these young cubs must learn well during the two summers they spend with their mother. She will teach them how to use their keenest sense -- that of smell -- to find the berries and roots that make up their diet. And she will also teach them the smell of danger and how best to protect themselves in the wild. From tiny helpless babes they are transformed into great animals of the West Virginia forest.
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BIOGRAPHY:
Balke, the youngest of ten children, grew up on a farm in northern backcountry of Wisconsin. His family was completely dependent on the land; they tapped trees to make maple syrup; used crosscut saws for logging and horses for their farmwork; they raised crops for themselves and as income. His upbringing instilled in him a love of nature and wildlife. He received his first art award in a Wisconsin state-sponsored art contest while at elementary school for a painting of a black bear roaming in the woods. After serving in the US Army, he married Barbara Schernick and they moved to Chicago where he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts, now known as the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. During his time at the Academy, he specialized in still-life paintings. After graduating, he was hired by a Chicago illustrating studio and eventually moved back to Wisconsin where he worked as a commercial art director. He won many awards for his work as an art director and illustrator. On his own time, late in the night, he painted and developed his skills as a wildlife artist. After 17 years, he left his work as an art director to devote himself completely to watercolors and wildlife art. By 1979, they had six children and a home in the village of Thiensville, Wisconsin. Balke's love of nature took him to the NC mountains where he bought 200 acres in McDowell County and built a home. In 1985, a gallery was added and the Don Balke Wildlife Gallery was opened. In 1987, his work was chosen as the illustration for the official NC Zoo poster. In 1992, the United States Post Office issued a series of first-class postage stamps portraying five different species of hummingbirds designed by Balke. Balke travels to Africa, Australia, Ireland, the Caribbean, and across the 50 United States for inspiration and research. His wife, Barbara Schernick Balke, does extensive research on the animals and their habitats in preparation for the paintings and does much of the photography on research trips. He is best known for his detailed and realistic watercolor paintings portraying wildlife in their natural environment. In 2000, he transitioned to a more impressionistic style with oils portraying scenes from Yosemite National Park in California, Ocracoke Island on the Outer Banks, and Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina.